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I have a few thoughts regarding the remarks delivered by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player during the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is American – and sports frequently encourage nationalism. Some letdown was understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: none of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, who he has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best players in the world back-to-back. He is well within his right to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match what other person in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

The American star's second serve the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His top-class serve and powerful power on each forehand and backhand are more than adequate to defeat the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller men. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and playing a drop shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a pretty severe restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a several significant, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly surged up to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing slump of US male players lifting grand slams when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best advancement to the All England Club last four in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a few match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after break point, extending the run to the point of frustration. When Fritz finally did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and forced him to expend far too much effort to win it. Down match points in the last game, his first serve sailed to heaven. He extended the contest twice on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, only a result of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was quite ironclad evidence that the American is not good enough to beat any form of the Serbian, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never especially appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were expecting the American to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, willing to not only express his emotions or the strategy he believed determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for America not produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t do it,” the American told a journalist in June of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is in fact highly unlikely for everybody else. {